Chapter 10.1

A week later, Qi Feifei’s new restaurant had its grand opening.

That evening, the restaurant hosted an opening party, bustling with guests, many of whom were regulars invited to celebrate the occasion. The kitchen prepared an array of delicious dishes, and a four-piece band played jazz music with a Southern American flair.

Qi Feifei wore a deep purple dress that accentuated her graceful figure. As soon as she appeared, she became the center of attention.

Congratulations poured in, and she gracefully moved among the guests, warmly welcoming and entertaining them.

Among the attendees was Jason, a bank manager she knew well, accompanied by his wife. The couple had always had a strong relationship, their harmony making Qi Feifei envious.

“Feifei!” Jason’s wife, who was very fond of her, greeted her with a warm hug as soon as she arrived. “You look stunning! That dress suits you perfectly.”

“Thank you!” Qi Feifei beamed. “You’re the one who looks so beautiful that I can hardly keep my eyes open! Jason must be very proud of you.”

“Is he? He didn’t say anything about my dress when he saw me in it.” She playfully glanced at her husband.

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Qi Feifei smiled radiantly upon seeing him. “Qixuan, you’re here.”

“How could I miss your restaurant opening?” Wang Qixuan laughed heartily. “Besides, after a day of work, I’m hungry. It’s a perfect chance to grab a bite.” As he spoke, he grabbed a piece of canapé from a passing server’s tray and popped it into his mouth, chewing appreciatively. “Hmm, delicious.”

“Have plenty. The kitchen has prepared many great dishes tonight. I’m confident you’ll enjoy them.” Qi Feifei had great faith in her newly hired chef’s skills.

After greeting Jason and his wife, Wang Qixuan looked around. “This place is great. The food is good, the band is excellent. I’m sure it’ll be a huge success!”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Qi Feifei was delighted. Praise from a friend like Wang Qixuan was her greatest honor.

“You’re becoming more and more successful, a true career woman.” Wang Qixuan praised her.

“It’s all thanks to you and Jason.” Qi Feifei smiled and nodded to the two men who had helped her greatly. “Without your help, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

“Oh, I don’t deserve such credit.” Wang Qixuan scratched his nose awkwardly.

“Why not?” Qi Feifei looked at him with a smile. “You helped me review my restaurant’s business plan and always came up with solutions whenever I encountered problems. I’m truly grateful to you.”

“Well…” Wang Qixuan glanced at Jason, who was also looking at him. The two men exchanged a meaningful look.

“What’s wrong?” Qi Feifei noticed their strange expressions. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s not that you said anything wrong. It’s just that we can’t take all the credit. Honestly, we’d feel a bit shameless if we did.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s something I haven’t told you, mainly because of Zhihuan’s temperament. You know how he is, he wouldn’t let me say anything.”

“Zhihuan?” Qi Feifei was surprised. “What does this have to do with him?”

Wang Qixuan didn’t immediately answer. He looked at her deeply for a moment before sighing subtly. “Did you know that the first loan you took from the bank was approved because Zhihuan secretly helped you?”

“What?” Qi Feifei was stunned. After a while, she turned to Jason. “What’s going on?”

Jason looked a bit embarrassed. “It’s quite embarrassing to say, Miss Qi. When you applied for the loan from our bank, it far exceeded the credit limit we were willing to offer, and your collateral was insufficient. Your husband contacted me through Mr. Wang and used his own property as collateral. That’s why we approved the loan.”

Upon hearing this, Qi Feifei’s thoughts became a whirlwind, her mind in turmoil. Could it be true?

“And,” Wang Qixuan continued in a deep voice, “all those business plans and the difficulties you encountered while running the restaurant, they weren’t solved by me. I was just the intermediary passing the problems to Zhihuan, and he was the one who came up with the solutions.”

It was all him? How was that possible!

Qi Feifei gasped, her face turning pale. She looked at Wang Qixuan in disbelief, her eyes showing a trace of resentment. “You mean, all these years, it’s been Zhihuan helping me behind the scenes?”

“Yes.”

“And you both went along with his plan to keep it from me?”

“I’m really sorry because…”

Whatever Wang Qixuan explained next, Qi Feifei couldn’t hear. Her thoughts were entirely on that man who wasn’t in front of her.

It turned out that despite the distance between them, he had never been far from her. When she thought she was facing everything alone, he was there supporting her from behind.

How foolish she had been! That day he helped her with the financial analysis for her new restaurant, she should have realized. All these years, he had been silently protecting her!

She should have known, but she let fear and anxiety cloud her judgment…

It turned out that she was the one who was truly presumptuous!

“Where is he now? In New York?” she urgently interrupted Wang Qixuan, losing her composure in front of him for the first time.

But Wang Qixuan completely understood her anxiety and even felt relieved. His dark eyes gleamed faintly. “Yes, he’s in New York.”

He’s in New York.

Qi Feifei chewed over this information, her heart restless and her emotions tangled.

New York, a dream she had never allowed herself to indulge in, a place she thought she could never reach.

New York, could she dare to go?

—

In New York, he had returned to this city, a place where he had lived for six years, lingered for six years, but never felt like home.

New York was fashionable and lively, with many visitors falling in love with it at first sight. But he could never truly fit in, always feeling out of place and wandering.

Maybe it was because he had someone on his mind, someone who bound his heart.

Thinking of this, Xin Zhihuan sighed deeply, his hands in his pockets, standing in front of a shop window.

In the window, there was a dazzling array of Christmas goods, including a music box that looked like a dollhouse.

The music box was shaped like a small, colorful house with a yard covered in sparkling snow. There was a Christmas tree decorated with gifts and a snowman wearing a red scarf.

The house, the snowman, and the Christmas tree each had a winding key. When wound up, they played a clear, pleasant melody, the snowman would spin, and the house and tree would light up with colorful neon lights.

Such an exquisite and cute music box, she would like it, wouldn’t she?

Lingering outside the window, Xin Zhihuan finally entered the store and bought the music box. The clerk wrapped it carefully, tying it with a beautiful ribbon bow.

Holding the music box, he returned to the street, suddenly feeling foolish.

This Christmas gift was destined never to be delivered, so why did he buy it?

“Xin Zhihuan, can’t you let go even now?” he murmured self-deprecatingly, shaking his head. He walked along the sidewalk, crossing a few streets, and entered Central Park.

The trees were bare, leaves fallen, leaving only gnarled branches. The cold wind blew, biting and piercing.

He pulled up the collar of his coat, feeling the moisture and coldness on his fingertips.

Only then did he realize it was snowing.

Snowflakes floated gently in the air. He looked up, letting the ice crystals melt on his face.

It was snowing.

She had said she had never seen snow and longed for its romance. Back then, he had invited her to come to New York to see the snow with him. Did she agree or refuse?

Strangely, he couldn’t remember. The memory was too hazy; he only remembered her expression at the time, so beautiful it took his breath away.

“Feifei…” he softly called her name, a faint pain in his chest.

Another gust of cold wind hit him. He was not dressed warmly enough and felt the chill deeply.

His body was cold, and his heart even colder.

He shivered and was about to pull his coat tighter when a soft, warm scarf suddenly wrapped around his neck.

He froze, looking down.

A pair of gentle, watery eyes gazed deeply into his.

He trembled in surprise, his voice hoarse. “Feifei?”

She looked at him, her eyes carrying a faint sadness. “Why are you dressed so lightly? It’s very cold today.”

“How did you come here? This is…New York.”

From Taipei to New York, thousands of miles away, how did she come here? He couldn’t believe it.

“I came to see the snow.” She whispered, her delicate hands deftly tying the scarf around his neck. “I knitted this scarf myself. Does it look good?”

Whether the scarf looked good or not, what did it matter?

What mattered was that she was here, right in front of him, under the falling snow in New York.

Overcome with emotion, his blood boiling, he suddenly spread his arms and hugged her tightly as if to meld her into his bones, never to part—

Why had she come?

He didn’t understand.

She said she came to see the snow, but she brought a hand-knitted scarf as a gift. He knew that seeing the snow was just an excuse; the person she truly wanted to see was him.

But why? They were already divorced, weren’t they? From now on, they should be separate, each going their own way. Why did she come back?

Or perhaps, she didn’t come back; she just saw him as an old friend, someone who could guide her around this foreign city.

She was still the same as before, never making things clear. She only needed him to take her around, leaving him guessing and uneasy.

She said she wanted to take a boat ride to see the Statue of Liberty, so he accompanied her; she said she wanted to see Wall Street where he worked, so he strolled with her there; she said she had never tasted the most authentic New York cuisine, so he took her to his favorite restaurants.

She savored each dish, occasionally taking out a notebook to jot down her thoughts.

“I say, are you here for sightseeing or research?” Seeing her serious demeanor, he couldn’t help but tease her with a smile. “Are you planning to steal some ideas to take back with you?”

She shot him a sidelong glance and wrinkled her cute nose. “I run an American-style restaurant, remember? Since I’m in the U.S., I have to learn a few tricks to take back.”

He loved this playful side of her.

She wasn’t the type to act coquettishly, so whenever she showed even a hint of it, he felt his heart flutter.

A woman should know how to be a little coquettish; it made her more endearing. He didn’t understand why she didn’t do that more often with him. Did she think he wouldn’t indulge her?

He would; as long as she asked, he would spoil her endlessly.